11 Native Grasses to Grow from Seed in March

If you’re looking to improve habitat and ecosystem services in your landscape, native grasses offer an opportunity for both. They’re also ornamental with multi-season appeal through leafy blades, tufted plumes, and persistent seedheads. Hardy stock and soft plumes add interest nearly year-round, even in dormancy. Leave grasses standing in the fall rather than cutting them back to enjoy their blades and dried seedheads in the frost.

Native grasses, whether as a border specimen, turf alternative, meadowscape, prairie planting, or erosion control measure, are low-maintenance, adaptable crops to reduce irrigation while retaining moisture, slowing runoff, and improving soil structure. They also provide habitat for birds and wildlife through shelter and forage, are hosts for pollinators, and nesting sites for other insects, invertebrates, reptiles, and amphibians.

Switchgrass

	botanical name Panicum virgatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Switchgrass is a North American prairie selection that grows across soil types, moisture levels, and light conditions. Blades and wispy plumes are highly ornamental and grow upright, adding vertical interest. The dried plumes and blades persist through winter.

Like all the grasses on our list, switchgrass is durable, preferring lean soils to overly rich ones. It grows in wet and dry situations and tolerates occasional flooding. Deep roots make them heat and drought-tolerant. They’re useful in erosion control and revegetation sites, in addition to border specimens, rain gardens, and naturalized arrangements.

Germination occurs in soils above 55°F (13°C). Sow these native grass seeds in March to achieve cold stratification before the final frost, or purchase them pre-treated. While switchgrass typically grows tall, smaller varieties like ‘Shenandoah’ maintain a two-to-three-foot height, making them versatile across scales.

Big Bluestem

	botanical name Andropogon gerardii
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 5-9’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Big bluestem makes a statement with tall, colorful, and gracefully arching blades. They emerge early in the season before many others, making them a good native grass seed to sow in March. Blue-green blades transition to coppery red in the fall.

Once the hallmark of American tallgrass prairies, they are long-lived and prime for screening, back-of-the-border locations, specimens, and naturalized plantings. They intermingle seamlessly with blooming perennials. Pair it with aster, solidago, and rudbeckia for a summer-to-fall glow.

Sow big bluestem seeds on a prepped site at half to quarter-inch deep in late winter or early spring. Germination can take several weeks.

Little Bluestem

	botanical name Schizachyrium scoparium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-4’
	hardiness zones 3-10

Little bluestem is another selection with a wide range. Tufts of narrow, folded blades, usually upright, have blue-tinged new growth that matures to reddish-gold.

The fluffy, white seeds provide forage for birds, and the fine leaves are prime nesting habitats. The species is widely adapted to different growing regions and occurs in lower Canada and most U.S. states except Washington and Nevada. Clay and sandy soils are its natural textures, but little bluestem tolerates various types.

Ensure good soil contact when sowing with a light rake or lawn roller, planting shallowly one-quarter inch deep. For the best foundation, the soil should be moist and weed-free.

Blue Grama

	botanical name Bouteloua gracilis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 6-20”
	hardiness zones 3-10

Blue grama comes to us from American prairies and performs well as a lawn alternative and groundcover. The fine blades take occasional mowing and reach under 24 inches tall in flower. The green blades turn tawny red in the fall, with curls to add texture to the display.

Blue grama performs best in western states in more arid climates and lesser precipitation. Sow seeds two to four weeks before the anticipated frost, or indoors 10 to 12 weeks in advance. As a warm-season grass, sprouting occurs as temperatures reach 60°F (16°C).

Blue grama grass prefers well-drained soils with a neutral pH (around 7.0). It’s drought-tolerant once established and ideal for waterwise, low-maintenance ornamental landscapes.

Broomsedge

	botanical name Andropogon virginicus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-4’
	hardiness zones 3-9

Broomsedge is not really a sedge but a true grass that grows across fields, prairies, and savannahs. The rugged grower is a fit for informal plantings, revegetated areas, and open spaces as a long-lived, sturdy ground cover. The genus supports common wood nymph and skipper larvae and, like switchgrass, is a good fit for pollinator gardens.

Broomsedge’s green leaves and stems turn dark purple and then red-gold in late fall. It retains its vibrant tones without fading to tan like others in cold weather. Inflorescences turn bright orange as temperatures drop. Lasting seeds are cottony and silvery white.

Broomsedge thrives with neglect in sandy or clay soils. It doesn’t do well in overly fertile or mulched situations but tolerates a range of moisture levels. Sow broomsedge during dormancy in late winter or as daily temperatures rise into the low sixties in early spring.

California Fescue

	botanical name Festuca californica
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-4’
	hardiness zones 7-11

California fescue is a robust clumping grass with a quick growth rate. Sprays of fine-bladed blue-gray foliage create a graceful fountain. In spring and summer, airy plumes rise above the blades and turn taupe. Birds enjoy the seeds.

This fescue is native to the Coast Ranges from California’s central coast to Oregon and the Cascades. With deep roots, it does well on slopes, eroded areas, and revegetated grasslands. It’s ornamental as a specimen or massed groundcover and as a lawn replacement where turf creates a vista. It has some shade tolerance, making it suitable beneath trees in dappled light.

California fescue is evergreen in mild winters. It’s not an aggressive spreader and maintains a tidy habit. Also look to Arizona fescue (Festuca arizonica) as another native option that naturally occurs in the Southwest and Western region, especially in ponderosa groves. Both species are long-lived, cool season bunching grasses that withstand poor soils and bring ornamental value. They’ll need early moisture to establish before the warm season.

Pennsylvania Sedge

	botanical name Carex pensylvanica
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 6-12”
	hardiness zones 3-8

Carex are known for their soft, tufting mounds that colonize along shady borders and slopes. Pennsylvania sedge creates a green carpet with gently arching blades. As a turf alternative, mow it a few times a year to keep leaves two to three inches tall. Otherwise, enjoy its lush, clumping form.

Pennsylvania sedge is semi-evergreen in moderately cold climates. Reddish-purple inflorescences spike in late spring. C. pensylvanica occurs naturally in eastern and central North America in dry woodlands. 

This one is more challenging from seed than some other grasses but worth trying if you need large numbers or are filling a vast area. Sow more seeds than you’ll need—the germination rate is about 45% on average. They’ll benefit from cold stratification to germinate, so March is fitting to sow these native grasses in very cold climates where there are still chilly temperatures to go.

Another Carex to pair with other grasses on our list includes C. montana, or mountain sedge. Mountain sedge forms an attractive, deep green clump of soft, narrow, mounded leaves. After direct sowing with cold exposure, seeds germinate in a month or two.

Muhly

	botanical name Muhlenbergia capillaris
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3’
	hardiness zones 5-9

Muhly has wiry leaves and airy plumes that surprise in fall. They create a pinky-red haze around the fine-bladed foliage. The panicle cloud of color is highly ornamental, and the perennials are carefree.

Muhly is heat, humidity, drought, and salt-tolerant. It grows in poor soils, including clay, rocky, and sandy compositions. They grow best in warm climates and germinate in temperatures above 60°F (16°C).

To expand your colony from seed, sow a group of two to three at one-quarter inch deep and 24 to 36 inches apart to allow for mature growth. You should see sprouting in two to three weeks with regular moisture.

Virginia Wildrye

	botanical name Elymus virginicus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-5’
	hardiness zones 3-8

Virginia wildrye actively grows in the cool weather of spring and fall. It has bright green blades and wheat-like inflorescences that appear in summer and into fall (add them to autumnal decor and dried florals for texture).

Virginia wildrye is native to the U.S. and Canada and performs across conditions, from stream and pond margins to prairies and fields to disturbed areas. Direct sow seeds of this native grass in March for germination when night-time temps climb above 50°F (10°C). Or, start them indoors four weeks before transplanting as the weather warms.

For cold climates, Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) is a vigorous grower and quick to establish. Both wildryes reseed and work well in erosion control. This is a dominant tallgrass prairie species and a good option in all regions except the southeast, as it prefers cooler climates.

River Oats

	botanical name Chasmanthium latifolium
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 2-5’
	hardiness zones 5-9

River oats are a perennial bunching grass that form thick clumps of upright blades. Their real highlight is pleated seedheads that suspend delicately from thin, arching stems. Ornamental in late summer and fall, they turn from pinkish-green to tan as leaves and stems dry. They also add sound to the sensory garden with rustling leaves. They flitter in the breeze and make an artful addition to fresh and dried arrangements.

River oats are vigorous spreaders through rhizomes and reseeding. They’ll fill the available space in their optimal growing situations, crowding out less vigorous species. Use them where they have room to run or in contained borders and beds.

River oats prefer moist soils (like streambanks) but do well in drier conditions, too. They’re host plants to the northern pearly-eye and skipper butterflies. Sow these native grass seeds in March for a cold period before germination. Or, start them indoors four to six weeks before frost.

Indiangrass

	botanical name Sorghastrum nutans
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-7’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Indiangrass is a prairie species with exceptional drought tolerance. It spreads vigorously to cover vast spaces and is a valuable resource for wildlife. Songbirds forage on the seeds, and leaves provide year-round cover for birds and mammals. The blades resist deer browsing (though deer may use it for bedding).

Indiangrass is a good option for fields and open spaces for naturalized coverage. Like so many native species, indiangrass prefers lean soils to fertile ones, where it may flop. It does best in poor, sandy soils and even clay or rocky compositions.